West Virginia group to call for removing Confederate statue

Published 1:12 pm, Sunday, August 13, 2017

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia residents are planning to gather at a statue of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson on the grounds of the state Capitol in Charleston and call for its removal.

The move planned for Sunday evening comes on the heels of a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. A statement from Stephen Smith says the group will also condemn racism and stand in solidarity with civil rights leaders in Charlottesville.

Three people were killed Saturday and dozens injured as white nationalists protested Charlottesville's decision to remove a Confederate monument.

Jack Deskins, who is helping to organize the West Virginia event, says Jackson tried to preserve the institution of slavery and bought a black child as a gift for his wife.